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what she did, however. Silence or an open defiance would have been equally satisfactory. Either would be a perfect excuse to use the force he was bringing back from France to break open Roselynde. He could have her declared a rebel and have her entire estate, instead of needing to divide it with others. John shrugged as he broke the seal. The delay probably meant that she had been seeking information about the two he had proposed as husband to her. |
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John's first real doubt came when he became aware of the weight of the packet. This was no simple letter. Was the bitch cleverer than he thought? Was this some kind of legal argument based on custom and precedent that she hoped would make her immune from his right to choose a husband for her? The first lines of the top scroll, which bore the lady's name, caught his eye and gave him a momentary taste of victory. Stupid slut, did she think that if she pretended to reverence him and spoke of her troubles, he would forget what had passed between them? The fleeting satisfaction made the shock and fury engendered by Alinor's announcement of her marriage so much the more violent. |
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"Bitch!" John shrieked, throwing the packet onto the table so that its contents spilled out. "Whore! Foul, stinking, cod-swallowing whore! Shit-eating sow!" |
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The blazing eyes roamed around the room, but living prey was gone. The servants had been sent to wait outside when Neville asked for audience. Neville himself had gasped and slid out of the doorway at the first darkening of the king's countenance. If the doubt he read on the king's brow cleared, he would be just outside, waiting to re-enter. The shriek of rage, however, told him his best safety lay in retreat. As he hurried back to his quarters, a doubt flickered through his own mind. If the messenger had been kempt and well-dressed, he might have been bidden to stay or to carry the packet to the king himself. Had the stinking, illgarbed creature been a trap? Where was he now? |
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